It was so cool. I love that these buildings have so much history. It's a reminder that the US as we know it is still such a new country. So much has happened behind the walls of these rooms: kings have taken refuge, prisoners have been tortured, two princes may have died, wars have been fought, and countless other monumental moments. The tower (which is more of a castle than a single tower) was great. My favorite part was the Bloody Tower which is famous for 2 reasons. The first is that Sir Raleigh was held there. The second, and this is the one I knew about, is the story of the two princes. Legend has it (every story needs to start like this) that "the two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV alive at the time of their father's death. Then 12 and 9 years old, they were lodged in theTower of London by the man appointed to look after them, the Lord Protector, Duke of Gloucester. This was supposed to be in preparation for Edward's (the elder brother) coronation as king. After Richard took the throne for himself, it is assumed that they were murdered. This may have occurred some time around 1483, but apart from their disappearance, the only evidence is circumstantial" (stolen from Wikipedia). Cool story, no? The Bloody Tower is said to be haunted by their spirits... *ghoulish sounds* It was very interesting and educational and awesome.
Bloody Tower
My other favorite part of the tower, which doesn't have much to do with the tower, was the presence of the evil ravens. They were demonic and sought to gouge our eyes and devour our souls... But I also felt bad for them because their wings were clipped. The presence of ravens did add to the creepy atmosphere though. And it was fun to watch them attack people...
It actually bit me.
"Nevermore"
We also saw the Crown Jewels, which were shiny and gorgeous and amazing. I couldn't take any pictures inside though.
This is the building in which they are kept.
Then we walked in the moat, which no longer has water, and then headed out.
A catapult inside the moat
Here's a few more pictures from the tower:
A window in the dungeon
Beefeaters!
View from the king's room
....idk
I liked the contrast between old and new
Cali and I decided to see Billy Elliot that night. It beat out Next to Normal a few years ago so we were expecting to enjoy it quite a lot. I'm still confused as to why it won. I really wanted to like it, and with a few adjustments I probably would have. And that's not to say it wasn't good, it just wasn't great. Even with musicals like Matilda and Chorus Line I walked away with the songs stuck in my head (against my will), but I can't remember a single lyric or tune from Billy Elliot. The boy who played Billy was a great dancer, but the choreography didn't show that off. Based on the nature of the plot I was expecting him to be a dancing prodigy, which wasn't the case. I liked the themes of the story though, and the kids were all talented. There were some really cool ideas, especially with one dance where the protestors and police are fighting and the kids are having their dance lesson in the middle of it. That was great and very impactful. There were a lot of moments like that and with some adjustments I felt like it could have been a great play. I did cry like 3 times though, so that says something about it. We were in the second row for this play as well, which wasn't at all a bad view.
I love reading your blog Krista--it sounds like you are having an amazing time.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get back to the states, you might try reading "London" by Edward Rutherfurd. Since you've seen so many of the places he talks about in the book.